This invention relates to an improved holder for T-shaped headed tools.
The background of the invention is adequately described in our U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,263, which is incorporated herein by reference. This invention is an improved version of the holder described in that patent. Most significantly, the present improvement is simpler in construction and therefor much more economical to produce and yet maintains the advantages of the earlier holder.
Thus it is an object of this invention to provide a simpler and more economical device for carrying a hammer or similar T-shaped headed tool safely, securely and conveniently without interfering with the free use of hands and feet while carrying the tool.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a simpler and more economical holder for carrying a T-shaped tool having a head and a handle and enabling the wearer of the holder to grasp the handle of the tool in the same hand both to use or holster the tool.
Other objects will be apparent from the description that follows.
Like its predecessor the present invention provides a device capable of carrying a hammer or a similar T-shaped tool having a head and a handle on the body in a convenient manner for safe and efficient use. The present invention also provides means for securing the hammer above or below the knee with the head below the handle so the user can grip the hammer by the handle in the same hand during use or holstering. Also like its predecessor a hammer is firmly held in the holder by both the handle and the head using a clamp to secure the handle and a cradle to nest the head. A simpler and less costly construction is employed to accommodate various sizes of handles.
The device of the present invention comprises three components fastened together to secure a T-shaped tool in an inverted position against the leg of the wearer of the device. The first component is configured to provide a cradle for the head at its lower end and two largely parallel side rails extending upwardly in relation to said cradle. The side rails are threaded through openings provided in the pliable second component which acts as a back wall for the device. The third component is a clamp which is fastened to the side rails and the back wall at various positions to accommodate different sized tool handles. The second component also provides means located above the side rails for fastening the device to the belt of the wearer.
The designation of movements or positions throughout the present specification, such as horizontal or vertical movements of the tool or up and down positions on the holder, assume that the head of the tool is down in the cradle or the handle is extended upward away from the head like an inverted letter T, the normal arrangement if the wearer of the holder is standing in an upright position with the tool placed in the holder.